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Boulder County survey looks at area mobile home parks, finds fair to poor conditions
Over half of Boulder County’s mobile home park residents say their homes are in fair to poor condition.
That’s according to a new survey by Boulder County officials, CU Boulder, and El Centro’s Amistad.
The survey included hundreds of mobile and manufactured home park residents who shared their needs, wants, and level of satisfaction with their homes. Almost all said their homes needed multiple repairs.
The survey showed that mobile home park residents are disproportionately people of color, primarily Latinx, and that most households made less than half the median household income for Boulder County.
The survey will help the County decide how to distribute funds from the Healthy and Resilient Mobile Homes Program, which will go directly to repairs in manufactured and mobile homes.
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Boulder researchers explore ways to harness static electricity
Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Boulder have found a way to generate electricity based on moving material.
They’ve received a patent for a machine that could harness the static electricity we generate in our day-to-day lives.
By weaving together many centimeter-sized electric generators, the researchers found that the machines could produce renewable energy from flexible structures, ropes, walls, clothing, roads, ocean waves, and more.
Those at the lab will continue to refine their design to confirm that these theoretical applications are actually possible.
This method could be a potential renewable energy option alongside wind and solar, according to 9News.
CU Boulder finds wealth disparities in fundraising efforts post-Marshall Fire
Wealthy households received significantly more in GoFundMe donations than low-income households did in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder looked at 975 GoFundMe campaigns for survivors of the Marshall Fire, focusing on those who lost their homes.
They attributed this disparity to factors like social networks – and the tendency to form relationships with those who are in a similar income bracket to us – as well as the perceived likelihood that someone could rebuild their home.
Boulder County officials chimed in via The Daily Camera, and said they found similar disparities in individual funding through FEMA. That’s because, according to the Camera, FEMA applications can be complicated and not everyone has the means to complete them.
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Fort Collins school district will move start times earlier
Six middle schools in Fort Collins will move their start times earlier – to 7:30 a.m. – for the upcoming school year.
The shift is a response to the critical shortage of bus drivers working for the Poudre School District. Eight elementary schools will also see shifts in start times.
The plan will require 12 fewer bus drivers for the 2024-2025 school year. That’s because drivers will be able to double up on morning and afternoon routes, reducing the number of drivers needed at any one time. Currently, 122 are required to cover all existing routes.
The length of school days at each school will not change.
The National Education Association says that research sees a correlation between later start times and better sleep for students, which would in turn enable them to be more alert and more prepared in class.
